In my mind, this photograph represents my version of a Greek Salad.
Suzie’s Greek Salad
6 tbsp olive oil
juice of one lime
1 garlic clove grated
2-3 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dill weed
a pinch of white sugar
salt and pepper
Just whisk this up and put it on some greens with olives, feta, green peppers, red onion and tomatoes.
I was surprised when I moved out west that the Greek salads there had almost no lettuce, they were all peppers, not my favourite vegetable. When I was out west I just gave up on this favourite salad of mine. It just wasn’t the same.
When I went to Greek Fest in Halifax last year I was happy to see them serving the salad I remembered enjoying when I was in Ontario, that I was not losing my memory. It has been a while since I ate Greek food outside of BC. Although I was disappointed that the donair sauce here is sickeningly sweet, I like it garlicky thank you very much!
Isn’t it interesting how food changes depending on where you live? That a “universal” salad is actually regional? That a dipping sauce on one side of the coast is so completely different than the other?
This is what I love about making my own food, I get to make it my way, the way I like. I am in control over my digestive destiny. I know that when I eat this salad I am getting high quality olive oil into my diet and there is more zip because I put in two acids: lime and red wine vinegar. Oh and I am also going to make my own donair sauce from now on!
I give your Greek salad the Greek Authenticity Award! 🙂 My two favorite versions of this salad are: with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, feta and olives (no lettuce); the other has leaf lettuce, green onions, dill and cilantro (optional cause I know you don’t like it!) red onions, feta and olives. I can’t digest peppers so I leave them out all together! 🙂
Our Greek restaurant here (fairly new place) serves their salad with kalamata, lettuce, red onion, feta and zaziki sauce. I LOVE it! I could put the zaziki on everything (and do when in the restaurant!) Your dressing sounds really good! I’d have to leave out the lime (can’t eat any citrus) but I think it would be good without it too!
Thanks Genie! I love having lettuce in the summer and it goes so nicely with the dressing but you’re right, a lot of people don’t include it.
Really Tammy? Tzaziki sauce? I can’t imagine but wow, that sounds yummy. You could totally leave out the lime, no worries.
I love Greek salad. I have spent a lot of time in Greece…one stint was 6 months. There the salad was usually plump juicy tomatoes, a bit of onion, black olives, peppers, oregano and feta,all covered with good olive oil. The theory was that the juice from the tomatoes/feta/peppers would make up the vinegar component of the dressing. Sometimes the feta was just a slab placed on top. I think the addition of lettuce is more of a Westernised version that is gaining popularity. I like all versions!!
Salad is one thing I am overly picky about. xD I don’t like a lot of different vegetables (and not for a lack of trying) so I never order salads in restaurants, and I even tend to avoid salad bars because they usually don’t have the kind of dressing I like. I eat my version of a salad for lunch almost every day, though.
Tzaziki (zaziki? it’s hard to spell!) is yum on a salad. Because it is kind of “yogurty” it’s more like a ranch type dressing. The sauce at this particular restaurant is simply the best!